"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." ( 2 Nephi 2:11)
Many years ago, I had a discussion with my mother. My concern was mostly for my little sister who, I felt, was a bit overly-sensitive. Her feelings were easily hurt. I hoped my mother, who was of a similar temperament, could talk to her to help her avoid feeling so often criticized or unloved. My mother defended the position by saying that she thought it was a good thing to be sensitive. There were people she knew who were insensitive so they weren't aware of other people's feelings. I tried to explain that being easily hurt or offended was not the same sensitivity as being compassionate or aware of the feelings of others. Using Jesus Christ as my example, He was not easily offended. He was not only criticized but was spit upon, mocked, disparaged, misunderstood, and finally crucified. He never indulged in self-pity. In Gethsemane, He meekly offered to let the cup pass from Him if possible but didn't go on and on about how much He was suffering. On the cross, He cried, "Father, why hast thou forsaken me?" But He never complained or accused others of being unfair or unkind towards Him. On the other hand, He was very aware of the needs of those around Him. He has made countless offers to help: Seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you or Take upon you my yoke for my burden is easy or Pray unto the Father in my name, etc. He suffered what He did in Gethsemane so that He would truly be able to understand any suffering we might endure during mortality. He suffered so that He would know how to succor us. Being sensitive can be a good thing, if using it to look outward rather than inward in self-pity or doubt.
Some time ago my younger son took it upon himself to try to "toughen up" his younger sister when they were children. He thought it was important for her to be more resilient and confident. His method was to berate and belittle her. Russ has often talked about how, in the fire department, or the Navy, or on a construction site (any macho-type circumstance) the guys traditionally use sarcasm and insults on each other. They're expected to be tough enough to take it. Males tend to also use physical violence to one degree or another to relate to each other. They can give each other a black eye then go bike riding together, the injury forgotten. Again looking to my Savior as an example to follow, I picture Him in the Garden of Gethsemane when His disciples were so anxious to protect and defend Him. Peter lopped off a guy's ear. Jesus? He gently reached out and healed the ear and gently chided Peter. We need to be self-confident. Being physically strong is a good thing in order to do the work we do as a part of mortality, especially so that by our sloth we don't over-burden others. We need to be valiant in enduring to the end rather than wimping out. Being tough can be a good thing, if we use it in acting righteously.
The challenge for us is to find the balance in what to embrace and what to avoid. We are all different and often find dividing lines between what to do and what not to do in a slightly different range. There is truly opposition in all things here on the Earth. Using our God-given agency to choose for ourselves, we will have different ideas on how to figure out right from wrong and truth from error. Another God-given gift is the Holy Ghost- a member of the God-head sent to help us discern when we let Him do so. And, as corny as it sounds, it sometimes helps to ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do or think or say?"
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